Mentioned Victorian classes
Throughout the whole mini series, as series of steam locomotive classes from the Victorian era are mentioned by characters with help the younger locomotives understand how the steam locomotive was perfected over time from the design of Stephenson's Rocket. LNWR "Bloomer" class The "Bloomer" class were a class of three different versions of 2-2-2 express locomotive designed by James McConnell of the London & North Western Railway (LNWR) in 1851. They were the first steam locomotives to prove the high boiler practice of steam locomotive design. History During the time before the "Bloomer" class was being designed, James McConnell noticed that many designers were putting the boilers into the frames, since they said that having the boiler too high would make the locomotive "unstable", especially at high speed. McConnell insisted that a high boilered locomotive could work as well as a locomotive with the boiler being mounted in the frames, unless it was built "properly". The first of this design was serial number 677 (later No. 247 and 847 'Odin' and the design featured driving wheels measuring at 7'0" (2.134m) tall and operated at a boiler pressure of 100psi, which was normal for that time. The design proved exactly what McConnell said, since the design was built properly and handled nicely at high speeds of around 50-60mph (80-96km/h). This design, by now nicknamed "Bloomers" from their "leggy" appearance, was soon followed on by a version with 6'6" (1.981m) driving wheels, known as "Small Bloomers", but were known by McConnell as "Bury's Improved". Appearance Mini Series 1990s * Fowler's Ghost (mentioned) Trivia The name "Bloomer" was first used as a nickname for the class by LNWR employees, but it later became a standard reference name for the three different versions until the class was withdrawn by 1888. * The word "Bloomer" came from Miss Amelia Bloomer, a American woman's rights activist who shocked Victorian society when she introduced the American dress, also called the "Turkish dress" or "bloomer". Since the class is only mentioned, no such member of the class is shown physically, apart from a single edited photograph of the replica built in 1991. This class set the benchmark for many inside-framed locomotive for the next 100 years. A working replica of a "Large Bloomer" is under construction at Tyesley, but as of 2019, progress doesn't appear of have continued since they stopped work on it. McConnell from another series Shane Sowter created (The Tri-ang Railway Series) is a fictional member of the "Small Bloomer" class. He serves as the oldest character operating in the series, being built for and entering Tri-ang Railways (TR) service in 1854. * McConnell also has the lowest number of any TR locomotive, 1. This is due to him being the first locomotive owned by TR, hence his nickname "The Founding Engine". Caledonian Railway No. 123 Caledonian Railway No. 123, nicknamed the "Caley Single",' '''is a unique express locomotive built by the Caledonian Railway in 1886, mostly for show. "She" is famous across the UK as being the last 4-2-2/"Single" in mainline operational service (withdrawn in 1935 by the LMS). Bio Caledonian Railway (CR) No. 123 was built by Neilson Reid & Company of Glasgow, Scotland and designed by Dugald Drummond to represent both the locomotive builder and the CR at the 1886 International Exhibition of Industry, Science and Art, which was to be held at Glasgow's rival city (Edinburgh). She and 4-4-0 No. 124 (built by Dubs & Company, another Glasgow locomotive builder) were sent off to Edinburgh and came back with a gold medal. No. 123 was really a modified version of the CR 66 class 4-4-0 adapted for the 4-2-2 layout, which was losing favour to the railway companies of England due to their poor performance and power, let alone the CR never wanted one because of the hills along the routes. Following its gold medal award, No. 123 was put to work on the CR system but mostly double-headed with more powerful locomotives. The most well-known and recorded usage of the locomotive was it was preferred by Queen Victoria as the Royal Train Pilot. Requiring the pilot to run without a load and always 15 minutes ahead of the actual Royal Train, No. 123 was best suited for the roll. No. 123 became famous among railway enthusiasts and locomotives across the UK when she played a role in the East Coast's defeat in the 1888 Races to the North, which she showed the railways of both England, Scotland, Wales and abroad of her performance, and to show she wasn't just a simple showgirl. In 1914, No. 123 was put on the duplicate list and ended up having her number changed to '1123', which she didn't make a huge fuss about (according to Douglas during his time with her). In 1919, just after WWI ended, she met Douglas (No. 295 in those days) and the two became great friends since then. In 1923, when the CR was grouped with the Highland Railway (HR) and a few in England to form the London, Midland & Scottish Railway (LMS), No. 1123 had her number changed (again) to '14010', which was ne number she never liked. During the 1920s and until 1930, she was used as the locomotive to haul the director's saloon along the routes that the LMS inherited from its Scottish companies. By 1930, No. 14010 was put back onto proper mainline locomotive dues, normally two-three coach trains, even going to south towards London. One thing she didn't notice was that during a re-boiler, she didn't know that her safety valves have been moved from her dome to her firebox, which did make locomotives confused if she was the same locomotive they knew as a showgirl. No. 14010 was withdrawn from traffic in 1935 but because she was the last 4-2-2 working on the mainlines and the only "single" that operated for a "Big Four" railway company, she was preserved. Her preservation career was more surprising because in 1958, she was returned to service by British Railways (BR) for excursion trains with four other Scottish celebrities of the steam era (her favourite being Gordon Highlander, used by the LMS's rival, the LNER and the GN&SR locomotive left) in fill Caledonian colours, which was inauthentic for her condition. This operational life also lead to England and she got to double-head with another locomotive designed by Duglad Drummond, Nicholas, a London & South Western Railway (L&SWR) T9 4-4-0, known as a "greyhound", on the Blue Belle railtour. Basis or real locomotive Caley 123 is based on the real locomotive. It was built in 1886 by Neilson Reid & Co and became famous across the country during the Race to the North. It's famous for being the last 4-2-2 to be working on the mainline (withdrawn by the LMS in 1935) spent a brief period operational by British Railways. It's currently on static display at the Riverside Museum at Glasgow. Appearances Mini Series 2000s * Memories (mentioned) Trivia Shane Sowter in fact owns a Tri-ang Hornby Caledonian Railway No. 123 which he refurbished himself. NSWGR 32 class The '''NSWGR 32 class', formerly the NSWGR P class, is a class of 191 4-6-0s built for mixed traffic duties between 1892-1911. They worked with Clyde before they were all withdrawn in 1971 in the Hunter Valley, NSW coal mining territory. Bio When Beyer Peacock was selected to construct new locomotives for "the Colony" (New South Wales), NSWGR was in a need for more powerful locomotives to rival those used by their southern neighbour, Victoria. The design selected was a 4-6-0 for express duties and a boiler pressure of around 150-160psi. The first 50 were delivered between 1892 and 1893, which they became known as "Manchester Engines" due to them being built in Manchester. They were first used for mail traffic on the north and south lines of NSWGR and first called the NSWGR P class. Basis or real locomotive The NSWGR 32 class Trivia Unlike the GWR, the 32 class' number scheme follows normal numbering. When 3299 was taken, 3300 became the next locomotive in the class, instead of '4200'. Ixion produces a HO scale model of the class. The 32 class had two styles of running board design at the front, curved and straight.Category:Tender locomotives Category:Scrapped Category:Preserved